Posted on 10/23/2003 5:58:54 PM PDT by First_Salute
AFFIDAVIT
_________
STATE OF FLORIDA )
COUNTY OF PINELLAS )
BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CARLA
SAUER IYER, R.N., who being first duly sworn, deposes and says:
1. My name is Carla Sauer Iyer. I am over the age of eighteen and make
this statement of my own personal knowledge.
2. I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida, having been licensed
continuously in Florida from 1997 to the present. Prior to that I was a
Licensed Practical Nurse for about four years.
3. I was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in
Largo, Florida from April 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo
was a patient there.
4. It was clear to me at Palm Gardens that all decisions regarding Terri
Schiavo were made by Michael Schiavo, with no allowance made for
any discussion, debate or normal professional judgment. My initial
training there consisted solely of the instruction "Do what Michael
Schiavo tells you or you will be terminated." This struck me as
extremely odd.
-1-
5. I was very disturbed by the decision making protocol, as no allowance
whatsoever was made for professional responsibility. The atmosphere
throughout the facility was dominated by Mr. Schiavo's intimidation.
Everyone there, with the exception of several people who seemed to be
close to Michael, was intimidated by him. Michael Schiavo always
had an overbearing attitude, yelling numerous times such things as
"This is my order and you're going to follow it." He is very large and
uses menacing body language, such as standing too close to you,
getting right in your face and practically shouting.
6. To the best of my recollection, rehabilitation had been ordered for
Terri, but I never saw any being done or had any reason at all to
believe that there was ever any rehab of Terri done at Palm Gardens
while I was there. I became concerned because Michael wanted
nothing done for Terri at all, no antibiotics, no tests, no range of
motion therapy, no stimulation, no nothing. Michael said again and
again that Terri should NOT get any rehab, that there should be no
range of motion whatsoever, or anything else. I and a CNA named
Roxy would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a
wash cloth in Terri's hand to keep her fingers from curling together,
-2-
and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy.
7. Terri's medical condition was systematically distorted and
misrepresented by Michael. When I worked with her, she was alert
and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence,
saying such things as "mommy," and "help me." "Help me" was, in
fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds
of times. Terri would try to say the word "pain" when she was in
discomfort, but it came out more like "pay." She didn't say the "n"
sound very well. During her menses she would indicate her discomfort
by saying "pay" and moving her arms toward her lower abdominal
area. Other ways that she would indicate that she was in pain included
pursing her lips, grimacing, thrashing in bed, curling her toes or
moving her legs around. She would let you know when she had a
bowel movement by flipping up the covers and pulling on her diaper
and scooted in bed on her bottom.
8. When I came into her room and said "Hi, Terri", she would always
recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way
toward me, saying "Haaaiiiii" sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a
"hi", which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound
-3-
being only a second or two long. When I told her humrous stories
about my life or something I read in the paper, Terri would chuckle,
sometimes more a giggle or laugh. She would move her whole body,
upper and lower. Her legs would sometimes be off the bed, and need
to be repositioned. I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in
her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but
by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart.
Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri's,
someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always
demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in
her room with him. I documented Terri's rehab potential well,
writing whole pages about Terri's responsiveness, but they would
always be deleted by the next time I saw her chart. The reason I wrote
so much was that everybody else seemed to be afraid to make positive
entries for fear of their jobs, but I felt very strongly that a nurses job
was to accurately record everything we see and hear that bears on a
patients condition and their family. I upheld the Nurses Practice Act,
and if it cost me my job, I was willing to accept that.
9. Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused
-4-
on Terri's death. Michael would say "When is she going to die?,"
"Has she died yet?" and "When is that bitch gonna die?" These
statements were common knowledge at Palm Gardens, as he would
make them casually in passing, without regard even for who he was
talking to, as long as it was a staff member. Other statements which I
recall him making include "Can't anything be done to accelerate her
death - won't she ever die?" When she wouldn't die, Michael would
be furious. Michael was also adamant that the family should not be
given information. He made numerous statements such as "Make sure
the parents aren't contacted." I recorded Michael's statements word
for word in Terri's chart, but these entries were also deleted after the
end of my shift. Standing orders were that the family wasn't to be
contacted, in fact, there was a large sign in the front of her chart that
said under no circumstances was her family to be called, call Michael
immediately, but I would call them, anyway, because I thought they
should know about their daughter.
10. Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI or fluid buildup in her
lungs, colds, or pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled
even, hoping that she would die. He would say something like,
-5-
"Hallelujah! You've made my day!" He would call me, as I was the
nurse supervisor on the floor, and ask for every little detail about her
temperature, blood pressure, etc., and would call back frequently
asking if she was dead yet. He would blurt out "I'm going to be rich!"
and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died,
which included a new car, a new boat, and going to Europe, among
other things.
11. When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the
door closed and locked while he was with Terri. He would typically
be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would be
trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold
sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction,
so I'd check her blood sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low
it was below the range where it would register an actual number
reading. I would put dextrose in Terri's mouth to counteract it. This
happened about five times on my shift, as I recall. Normally Terri's
blood sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet
through tube feeding. It is medically possible that Michael injected
Terri with Regular insulin, which is very fast acting, but I don't have
-6-
any way of knowing for sure.
12. The longer I was employed at Palm Gardens the more concerned I
became about patient care, both relating to Terri Schiavo, for the
reasons I've said, and other patients, too. There was an LPN named
Carolyn Adams, known as "Andy" Adams who was a particular
concern. An unusual number of patients seemed to die on her shift,
but she was completely unconcerned, making statements such as
"They are old - let them die." I couldn't believe her attitude or the fact
that it didn't seem to attract any attention. She made many comments
about Terri being a waste of money, that she should die. She said it
was costing Michael a lot of money to keep her alive, and that he
complained about it constantly (I heard him complain about it all the
time, too.) Both Michael and Adams said that she would be worth
more to him if she were dead. I ultimately called the police relative to
this situation, and was terminated the next day. Other reasons were
cited, but I was convinced it was because of my "rocking the boat."
13. Ms. Adams was one of the people who did not seem to be intimidated
by Michael. In fact, they seemed to be very close, and Adams would
do whatever Michael told her. Michael sometimes called Adams at
-7-
night and spoke at length. I was not able to hear the content of these
phone calls, but I knew it was him talking to her because she would
tell me afterward and relay orders from him.
14. I have contacted the Schindler family because I just couldn't stand by
and let Terri die without the truth being known.
FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.
<signed>
CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N.
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this 29 day of August,
2003, by CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who produced her Florida's driver's license
as identification, and who did take an oath.
<signed Patricia J. Anderson>
Notary Public
My commission expires
<Notary seal of Patricia J. Anderson>
I'd want testimony in court, along with other witnesses, documentation and evidence before I could give any credibility to witness based on an affidavit.
What a nasty mouth you have.
But I'm not a sheeple.
What is the motive for three nurses to offer this kind of sworn statement? They have nothing to gain.
That'd come in testimony, wouldn't it?
According to Vernon Jordan, all Clinton ever talked about was sex and the women who wanted him.
But that's neither here nor there. My point is, never discount anything too quickly. This story has so many questions -- like why didn't Michael Schiavo divorce Terri when his mistress became pregnant the first time -- that the legitimacy of an affidavit such as this one wouldn't surprise me.
Then again, I lived through the Clinton presidency. Nothing surprises me.
First, a patient's chart is a legal and medical document, and it is sacred. If the procedures and notes in that chart are altered then the institution, physicans, and nurses are a party to felony fraud, and malpractice. In short, they are all ruined....PERIOD. So, if this happened somebody is in deep S#iT.
Secondly, if the husband was able to shake this kind of fist over the medical professionals in this outfit, then something is terribly wrong. You don't call the treatment, and care of a patient if you are not a medical professional. It's illegal, and it's immoral. The laws of the Florida Medical Board would not permit this. If it didn't know, then the liability is on the institution, and a criminal charges could be slamed on the institution, the Doctors/Nurses and the administration of the institution, as well as the husband himself.
Most importantly, if this woman is truly alive and not wishing to die then she must live. I took an oath not to help death, but to work for life.....First, I will do no harm! Being a party to a woman's death that was alive, I would be doing harm....I would be commiting murder. That is not only out of the oath of ethics, it is criminal.
In a situation where a patient is comatose, and brain dead (many tests to prove this, and many decisions made) I will advise that life supports be terminated, but it must be clear to me that the patient is 'brain dead'. Then and only then can I justify stopping live support. Believe me, I've had to do it before, I've had to do it to my own mother.
From what I have read on this case the patient shows all signs of brain activity and, while in a 'bed ridden' state, and even a diminished capacity state, is far from a comatose, vegitated, and brain dead state. The state should appoint an intrum guardian and start an investigation in this patient's case. This husband sounds a little anxious to have his wife die. If that happened to a patient of mine, I would have the husband banned from visitation and inform the police. Too many questions unanswered here, too much emotion, not enough medical science, not enough thinking. Time to calm down and investigate....logically!
Agreed.
You're serious right? Even been to some of these places?
We simply look at the facts as best we can and make judgements. My judgement is that a court ordering the starvation of a woman at the behest of a husband who has a new paramour with one bambino on base and one on deck is a travesty of justice.
Two of 5 specialists testified at the trial that Terri could be rehabilitated somewhat. Her wishes as regards feeding tubes is unclear. Three nurses who took care of the patient filed affidavits supporting the parents claims.
I'm not big into conspiracies. The facts are as I described them and while a criminal conviction requires evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, the starvation of a disabled woman seems merely to require dubious testimony from an estranged husband and 3 out 5 expert witnesses.
Something very wrong there Counselor.
LOL.
AFFIDAVIT
_________ BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CAROLYN JOHNSON who being first duly sworn deposes and says:
1. My name is Carolyn Johnson, I am over the age of 18 years and make this statement on personal information.
2. I used to work at Sabal Palms nursing home in Largo, for a period of about two years. I actually was employed by a nursing agency and was placed at Sabal Palms as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). I believe the events related here occurred in about 1993.
3. During this assignment I took care of Terri Schiavo several times. The first time I saw her my duties were being explained to me by the nurse on duty. Terri Schiavo was lying in bed. Another patient, also a young woman about the same age and in the same condition, was sitting up in a chair, with a drink cup and straw in front of her.
4. I asked why Terri was not up in a chair, too. I learned, as part of my training, that there was a family dispute and that the husband, as guardian, wanted no rehabilitation for Terri. This surprised me, as I
Page 1 of 3
did not think a guardian could go against a doctor's orders like that, but I was assured that a guardian could and that this guardian had gone against Terri's doctor's orders.
5. No one was allowed to just go in and see Terri. Michael had a visitors list. We all knew that we would lose our jobs if we did not do exactly what Michael said to do.
6. I remember seeing Michael Schiavo only once the entire time I worked at Sabal Palms, but we were all aware that Terri was not to be given any kind of rehabilitative help, per his instructions. Once, I wanted to put a cloth in Terri's hand to keep her hand from closing in on itself, but I was not permitted to do this, as Michael Schiavo considered that to be a form of rehabilitation.
7. This entire experience made me look hard at nursing homes. After about two years, I quit this job, because I was so disillusioned with the way Terri was treated. Someone somewhere along the way should have reported this.
FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.
Page 2 of 3
Carolyn Johnson, Affiant
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 28 day of August, 2003, by Carolyn Johnson who produced a Florida drivers license as identification.
Notary Public
My commission expires
-------- Found here
Admin guy, please delete the post above with Carla Sauers address. Thanks.
AFFIDAVIT
_________
STATE OF FLORIDA )
COUNTY OF PINELLAS )
BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CAROLYN
JOHNSON, who being first duly sworn, deposes and says:
1. My name is Carolyn Johnson. I am over the age of 18 years and make
this statement of my own personal information.
2. I used to work at Sabal Palms nursing home in Largo, for a period of
about two years. I actually was employed by a nursing agency and
was placed at Sabal Palms as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). I
believe the events related here occurred in about 1993.
3. During this assignment I took care of Terri Schiavo several times. The
first time I saw her, my duties were being explained to me by the nurse
on duty. Terri Schiavo was lying in bed. Another patient, also a
young woman about the same age and in the same condition, was
sitting up in a chair, with a drink cup and straw in front of her.
4. I asked why Terri was not up in a chair, too. I learned, as part of my
training, that there was a family dispute and that the husband, as
guardian, wanted no rehabilitation for Terri. This surprised me, as I.
- Page 1 of 3 -
did not think a guardian could go against a doctor's orders like that,
but I was assured that a guardian could and that this guardian had gone
against Terri's doctor's orders.
5. No one was allowed to just go in and see Terri. Michael had a visitors
list. We all knew that we would lose our jobs if we did not do exactly
what Michael said to do,
6. I remember seeing Michael Schiavo only once the entire time I worked
at Sabal Palms, but we were all aware that Terri was not to be given
any kind of rehabilitative help, per his instructions. Once, I wanted to
put a cloth in Terri's hand to keep her hand from closing in on itself,
but I was not permitted to do this, as Michael Schiavo considered that
to be a form of rehabilitation.
7. This entire experience made me look hard at nursing homes. After
about two years, I quit this job, because I was so disillusioned with the
way Terri was treated. Someone somewhere along the way should
have reported this.
FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.
- Page 2 of 3 -
<signed Carolyn Johnson>
Carolyn Johnson, Affiant
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 28 day of August, 2003, by
Carolyn Johnson who produced a Florida drivers license as identification.
<signed Patricia J. Anderson>
Notary Public
My commission expires
<Notary seal of Patricia J. Anderson>
- Page 3 of 3 -
If you can't argue the facts, argue the law; if you can't argue the law, impugn the emotional stability of the other freeper? Is that how it goes?
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